This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on December 16th, 2022. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
Last Sunday, we went to the North Pole...sort of.
We met up with some friends in New Jersey to board the North Pole Express, a holiday-themed steam engine. On the train, we were promised meet-n-greets with Santa and Mrs. Claus. After about a half-hour ride, we were told we'd arrive at the North Pole Station for hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies.
My daughter and her friends truly thought we were going to the North Pole.
But one friend started to catch on pretty quickly that something wasn't right. On the train, she kept pointing to things out the window: "That's just a highway. That's a field with tractors; the North Pole doesn't have tractors. Where's the snow?? Are you sure we're going to the North Pole?"
Wanting to maintain the illusion, I quickly said, "I bet we'll go through a portal or something, right before we get to the North Pole."
Well—the kids really latched on to that! "When we will reach the portal? What will the portal look like? Is it going to be shimmery?" I thought I'd saved the day! I thought we'd exit the train at the North Pole Station to some kind of winter wonderland, with candy canes and Christmas trees and elves—a setup that would never fool adults but just might convince some kindergarteners that we really had gone on a magical journey.
Unfortunately for me, the North Pole Station was just that: a train station. We didn't leave the platform. We were funneled into another train, where we had a photo op and got our hot chocolate and cookies. Apparently there was also a small train museum, a gift shop, and a restroom; it was cold and rainy, so we took our treats back onto the North Pole Express as soon as we were able.
My daughter and her friends were happy to have chocolate, and very happy to have met Santa Claus...but all was not well. We had clearly not gone to the North Pole. There had clearly been no portal.
The parents had to think fast. "That must have been the train station that takes Santa back to the North Pole. Maybe we can't visit the actual North Pole right now, because they're too busy making toys to handle tourists." Etc.
It worked (even though there was still a little disappointment over not actually seeing any reindeer). We managed to tell the right story to keep four five-year-olds believing in magic just a little while longer.
And ever since, I've been thinking about the stories we tell, again and again and again, at this time of year.
A magical man lives at the North Pole making presents, which he gives away by traveling all over the world in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.
A girl receives a Nutcracker doll as a gift, and it transforms into a prince and escorts her to the Land of Sweets, ruled over by the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy.
On Christmas Eve, a miserly man is visited by three ghosts, who convince him to change his ways and become a force for good in his community.
Long ago, a group of Jewish rebels only had enough oil to light their lamps for one night—but the oil miraculously lasted for eight nights.
A child was born in a stable and placed in a manger, because there was no room at the inn. His birth was heralded by angels, and he was visited by lowly shepherds and wealthy kings.
This can be a wondrous time of year. The holiday stories we tell—secular and religious—are important. The act of retelling them is also important. Storytelling is as much about the one who gives as the one who receives. It's about remembering the meaning and the magic of the season, and about passing it on.
What's your favorite holiday story?
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: I read a few different early chapter books this week, while preparing my SCBWI workshop for January. Big Foot and Little Foot by Ellen Potter was a sweet twist on Sasquatch lore. Inspector Flytrap, about a Venus flytrap who is also a detective solving "big deal" mysteries, made me chuckle. And Miles Lewis: Whiz Kid was such an empathetic depiction of a boy struggling with self-doubt before a group science fair project. I would recommend all three of these books/series for the early readers in your life!
Watching: "Willow" on Disney+...and it's just okay. All the ingredients for an epic fantasy adventure are there, but four episodes in, things aren't really clicking for me. Have you given this series a shot?
Eating: Cookies! I ordered some Hanukkah cookies a few days ago, and tomorrow, the kiddo and I are going to bake my mom's sugar cookies to decorate for Christmas. Tis the (cookie) season!
Loving: My daughter's conversation and subsequent snuggle with Santa last weekend. She really, really loved him.
